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Why has Married At First Sight UK been removed from Channel 4?
19 May 2026, 12:07
Three brides have made shocking and "very serious" claims against their on-screen husbands, causing the show to be pulled from all streaming services and social media.
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All seasons of Married At First Sight UK have been removed from Channel 4 streaming services following a string of "very serious allegations" made by three former contestants.
Two brides accused their on-screen husbands of raping them during filming, while a third said she was the victim of a non-consensual sex act as they spoke out during a new bombshell investigation.
An 18-month-long probe into the popular dating experiment brought the disturbing claims to light, which were detailed when the half-hour Panorama special called The Dark Side of Married at First Sight aired on Monday 18th May on BBC One.
The women described their 'dark' experiences on the show in a series of emotional testimonies and slammed the programme for failing to protect them behind-the-scenes.
Why has Married At First Sight UK been pulled from streaming on Channel 4?
One reality star who spoke publicly was former bride Shona Manderson, who appeared in the 2023 series of MAFS UK and was matched with groom Bradley Skelly.
On-screen, they faced drama with Brad being accused by the experts of displaying 'controlling behaviour' at the time, but Shona told Panorama the reality of her situation was much worse.
Following a tense holiday in the Maldives, she recalled how one boundary was crossed by her TV husband which left her feeling violated.
In the BBC One documentary on Monday night, she spoke of the alleged sexual misconduct: "In bed, we were being intimate, consensual, completely."
But according to Shona, things took a sour turn when she added: "My partner came inside me without my consent.
"I was shocked, I was confused. We said that we weren't doing that."
An official statement released by Bradley's lawyers stated that he denied "any allegations of sexual misconduct" and that their marriage "was based on mutual consent, care and affection".
A second bride, who wanted to remain anonymous for the documentary, claimed her groom displayed erratic behaviour which left her feeling fearful many times during the experiment.
Referred to as 'Lizzie' in the exposé, she said: "He would have these toddler style tantrums and he would explode.
"He spoke about how he and his ex were violent towards each other.
"When we were alone in the apartment, he kept bruising me during sex. I kept saying stop but he carried on and this would happen every time we had sex after this point.
"He said that if I told anybody, that he would get someone to throw acid at me.
"That night he attacked me. We were in our apartment on the sofa and he tried to have sex with me. I kept saying 'no', that I didn’t want to do it. He said 'you can’t say 'no', you’re my wife.'"
Lawyers acting for 'Lizzie's' former TV husband told the BBC that he categorically denied the claims.
An actress named 'Chloe' stood in for the third woman to protect her anonymity.
She alleged that her on-screen husband had groped her while she was asleep, then later had sex with her after she had already said "no".
"By that time, I’d like really given up, and I’d sort of... I just didn’t want him to be angry at me when the cameras came. I just lay there, and I stared out the window."
Her TV spouse also denied all claims, with lawyers reportedly saying the intercourse started consensually but when he realised 'through body language' she had withdrawn it, he immediately stopped.
The women outwardly stated that they felt as though not enough help or support was provided by the MAFS UK production team following the alleged incidents.
"I don't think that, because you're going on reality TV, you deserve in any way for things like this to happen to you," said Shona.
"You are due the duty of care that you deserve."
Channel 4 has since said it can't comment on "serious allegations of wrongdoing" against the former MAFS UK contestants, but did admit the accusations were shared with the network in April this year.
Chief executive of Channel 4, Priya Dogra, has since shared a statement, which said: "I want to express my sympathy to contributors who have clearly been distressed after taking part in Married At First Sight UK. The wellbeing of our contributors is always of paramount importance.
"It would be wholly inappropriate for me to comment on what are very serious allegations made against some MAFS UK contributors.
"Those allegations – which I understand are disputed by the contributors accused – are not something that Channel 4 is in a position to adjudicate on.
"We are also mindful of our ongoing duty of care to all contributors, and the need to preserve the anonymity and privacy of all involved.
"On the claims that Channel 4 may have failed in its duty of care, I believe that when concerns about contributor welfare were raised, and based on the information available at the time, Channel 4 acted quickly, appropriately, sensitively and with wellbeing front and centre."
However, Chair of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), Baroness Kennedy, has called for a further investigation into the brides' claims.
She said: "I think Channel Four really should be bringing in some sort of investigatory team to have a look at this, and it should always be external.
"I personally don’t think it should be on air at all. I just don’t see the right kind of protections being put in place that would absolutely guarantee a prevention of the things that we've been hearing about."
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